Tim frowned. He didn't doubt Al's claim that Sam would double the price a third time due to the fact that they'd found a baby. He'd heard of a pedophile group in the Pacific Northwest that was rumored to be interested in a snuff film with a baby in it. What he was worried about was letting Lisa Miller get away. He'd had strict orders, down to the make and license number of her car and her physical description, to grab her and bring her to the cabin by Saturday. Al and Animal were to do the rest. Tim didn't give a fuck-he was being paid double for the risk, and the plan he'd formulated had worked perfectly.
Then everything had fallen to shit.
First that Debbie Martinez bitch wandering into the cabin. Stupid cunt. That had been a minor annoyance, but he'd taken care of it. He'd mentioned what happened to Sam, and while Sam hadn't been pleased he'd grudgingly agreed to find a buyer and encouraged Tim to have Animal finish her quickly. Tim assured Sam he'd do that, and the three of them had driven to the cabin to do just that. Animal had managed to draw it out, though, which was fine in some ways, but they'd stopped production midway through. Animal was spending a lot of time with the bitch-he really must've been wanting to fuck this bitch up for a long time, because he was really enjoying it. Al had wanted to resume the next morning, and Tim had seen no reason to disagree. Debbie surely wasn't go ing anywhere, and Lisa Miller was tied up tighter than a gnat's ass. So they'd left.
What had fucked things up… what really fucked it up was Lisa Miller selling this other chick and her kid down the river for her own life.
The minute Al heard Lisa say she could get ahold of an infant, rim had seen the dollar signs in Al's eyes. There was no arguing with him after that. If Sam wanted to change his mind, that was his business. He understood business. And as they transferred Lisa to the van for the drive to Orange County, Al had pulled Tim and Animal aside briefly and told them that the minute they grabbed Alicia and the baby they were to grab Lisa's skinny white ass too and haul her back in the van. They weren't letting her go, and as far as the original job went that was still on the agenda. Let Lisa think they were letting her go; ignorance was bliss, right?
As it turned out, the money didn't matter to Animal. He'd been wanting to do a baby for some time.
What hadn't been in the script was Lisa Miller escaping. Bitch had slammed Animal pretty good in the solar plexus. Must have been a lucky shot. But there was no way Tim was hanging around to chase after her. Animal had limbed back in the van and Tim had sped off back to the cabin. Al had been pissed as donkey shit, and he was flying off the walls. He'd been indulging in the face Drano while he and Animal were gone, too. Tim had spotted the mirror and razor blades and Al had kept rubbing his nose and sniffling, his pupils dilated as he yelled at them for letting Lisa go. Animal had had to hold Al back as Tim told him he'd take care of it. "We'll get her," he'd said. "I know where she lives. When we're done tonight, I'll take my cousin's truck and cruise by her place and scope it out. We'll get her, don't worry."
"Jesus hick!" Al had thundered. He'd twisted out of Animal's grasp. "What the hell am I going to do now that she's gone? Shit!*
'ell Sam we got the film," Tim said, the ruse springing into place perfectly. "Tell him we got it all. When are you supposed to make the delivery?"
"In two weeks!" Al said, running a shaky hand through his thinning hair.
"Piece of cake," Tim said, exchanging a glance with Animal. Alicia and the baby were still in the truck, and Tim remembered hearing the infant cry as he'd tried to calm Al down. "She doesn't know us, she doesn't know where this place is, and she doesn't know you.'
'But she saw Animal's face!" Al had almost screamed the words.
"Yes, she did," Tim said. How do you argue with logic like that?" But we're going to get her. Trust me on this. Besides, I think right now we got something else on our plate we gotta take care of."
That had broken the spell. Al had huffed dramatically, then motioned for Animal to bring Alicia and the baby in, and Tim had spent the next few hours watching in horrified fascination, then disgust and fear and sickness, as they worked. And as the gut-wrenching scenes unfolded, Tim had felt those old feelings from years ago erupt to the surface of his psyche.
And now they had it. Three snuff films, one that of an infant. Ready to roll and bank on.
Tim extracted a cigarette from the pack he kept in his breast pocket. He lit it with shaky fingers, dragged in deep. Fuck, but this had been an intense shoot. Animal had just been… watching him and that baby had just been…
No, Dad, please don't hurt Binky!
The look in Alicia's eyes that screamed No, my baby! No, please-
Remembering the anguish he felt, seeing it on Alicia's face.
He felt the tears again. "Oh fuck, what've I done?"
Al stepped outside, lugging camera equipment. He was no longer paranoid and seemed to be his old self. He glared at Tim. "Quit fucking around and help me carry this shit to the van."
Tim struggled to rein his emotions in. He took a deep breath, struggling to hold back the tears. Time to focus; time to get through this night. He took a drag off his cigarette. "Yes, boss," Tim said, as he helped Al dismantle the camera equipment.
It was closing in on three A.M. and they had just rolled the last tarp containing the body of Alicia and the remaining scraps of her baby daughter into the van when headlights lit up the cabin.
Tim looked up, his heart leaping in his throat.
"Who the fuck do we have here?" Al said.
"Where's Animal?" Tim asked, suddenly feeling scared. He had insisted they clean up as much as possible at the cabin, including removing the boards he had nailed up on the back bedroom window, and he was glad they did.
"Here" Animal stepped up behind them. He was dressed in blue jeans, a white chambray shirt, black loafers. His brown hair was combed and styled perfectly. He was carrying a briefcase that contained the tools he used for shoots. He smiled, his eyes gleaming. "Don't worry," he said. "We can handle this."
When the vehicle pulled up, Tim saw that it was one with the words BIG BEAR P.D. painted on the doors. The driver turned the engine off and the passenger door flew open. A tall man with angular features and short brown hair leaped out. He looked frantic. ""Iim! Hey, Tim, you seen Debbie around?"
No, I haven't, Neal," Tim said, trying to calm his nerves. He'd had a feeling this might happen, and he was hoping they could get the hell out of here before Neal showed up. Neal had probably shown up at his cabin and freaked out when he saw that Debbie wasn't there.
The cop stepped out of the vehicle. He was wearing a light windbreaker. Are you the owner of this cabin, sir?"
"No, Officer, I'm not." Tim offered them a smile. "I'm just renting it from the owners."
You sure you haven't seen Debbie?" Neal was suddenly looming in front of him. He could feel the panic washing off the man in waves. His eyes were-frantic.
"I'm sorry, Neal, I haven't." Tim feigned a look of concern. A sudden sense that he had the upper hand burst through him. It made him feel better, in control of the situation. is there anything wrong?"
"She's gone!" Neal said, his voice a fast clip. "She was supposed to be at the cabin when I came up yesterday, and she was gone!"
The cop was calm and professional. "Mr. Martinez reported his wife missing earlier today. He'd been looking for her and calling us all day, and we got involved this evening. Are you sure you haven't seen her recently?"